The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-06-23
THE REBEL FLAGS,
The President Withdraws His Instructions Is to
the Return Of the Confederate Bauners-How
the HattcrOrlginated, etc.

The President Withdraws His Instructions Is to
the Return Of tho Confederate Bauncrs-Ilow
the hattcrOrlginated, etc.
The following is the text of a letter from
the President, received by the secretary OF
war late respecting the return to various
states CT flags captured during the late
war:
Executive Mansion, Washington, D. c..
June 1G.-To the Secretary Of War; l
have to day considered with more care
than when the subject was orally presented
to me, the action OF your depart
ment directing letters to be addressed to
the governors OF all the states offering to
return, if desired, to the loyal states, the
Union flags captured in the war of the re-.
bellion by the confederate forces, and aft
troops, and to the confederate states the
flags captured by the union forces, ill of
which for many years have been packed in
boxes and slowed in the cellar and attic of
the war department.. am of the opinion
that the return of these flags in the man.
ner thus contemplated is not authorized
by existing law nor justified as an cxecu-
tive act.
request, therefore, that 10 further st ops
be taken in the matter except to examine
and inventory OF these flags and adopt
pk H.
ANY direction for the final disposition
OF them should originate with congress.
Yours truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.
An intimate friend OF the executive this
evening, said that the president sanctioned
the return Of flags without giving the
subject serious consideration end
upon representations that the matter
not in any way was governed by law.
Nf,n ntn~
flags had been. from time to time, return
ed when applied for and that no new i'm.
portant question was involved immediate.
ly upon examination of the law, however,
and learning that there was q large mum.
Der OF confederate flags involved and that
none OF them had ever been returned, tho
president Immediately decided his approx
al OF the plan and had been inconsiderate
and mistaken.
BEFORE THE LETTER
Washington dispatch: Proceedings were
instituted in the district supreme court on
the 10th, against the secretary of war, as
the representative OF the president, to pre-
vent the return OF the confederate battle
flags captured by the troops of the sta te
OF Ohio. Con. H. V. Boynton. correspond.
emit of the Cincinnati Commercial Ga ette,
made tho necessary affidavits, and Gov.
Foraker is in telegraphic communities.
ton with the attorneys, who are
Messrs. Shellabarger, OF Shellabarzer &
Wilson, and ex-GOv. Boutwell,. Early
action will he taken by the court. The
affair has set the ex.soldier clement on fire,
and violent language is being used against
the administration.
A special to the Evening Wisconsin from
Madison, Wis.,, says: Gov. Rusk is great
~ aroused by the determine ton Of the
administration to return all flags now in
the possession OF the federal government to
the states from which the came. To-day
he sent the following letter to Adjt- Gen.
r. C. Drum at Washington:
"Sir-1 have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt OF your communication OF June
z, rendering to tho state Of Wisconsin tho
flags OF the different organizations from
this state now in the custody OF the war
department. Please advise me as to wheth-
er this tender also includes the rebel flags
captured by Wisconsin troops in the late
are to 60 out of the possession OF the gen.
eral government. think they should be
given to the states by whose troops they
were captured"
Gov Rusk also wired the following pro.
test to President Cleveland: II wish to pro.
test against the return OF the flags cap.
tured by the Union troops to the states
from whose military organizations they
were captured. II these flags are to be
surrendered by the general government.
hope they will be given to states by whose
troops they were captured
New York, June 16.-A special to the
Evening Post says: Adj. Gen. Drum is the
only person in authority here who appears
disposed to talk about tho order relative
to the return Of the rebel flags-he has q
good right to speak, for it 10 quite certain
that the idea originated with him. Gen.
Drum has these trophies in his charge
What his share in the matter is, can, per.
haps, be best learned from the following
interview: r 9 6 q = II
the Southern states all the flags, stand ards
and colors which were captured by the
Union army from the coniederates during
the war;"
I'VE are going to return them to all the
states, north and south. The PRECEDENT